Well flowing apparatus



Jan. 24, 1939.

C. S. CRICKMER WELL FLOW'ING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 2, 1956 e o'au ooooEwza 3 Wu cm (m C/swzar Jaw/(Mae Patented Jan. 24, 1939 v UNITED STATESWELL FLOWING APPARATUS Charles S. Crickmer, Dallas, Tex, assignor toMerla Tool Company, Dallas, Tom, a firm of Texas- Application November2, 1936, Serial No. 108,728

3 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in well flowingapparatus.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus forintroducing a lifting fluid into the column of liquidin a well, whereinthe lifting fluid is admitted into the column through perforations so asto enter the column in a plurality of small jets or streams, with acontrol valve at the perforations to control the flow thereto.

An important object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatusfor admitting a lifting fluid into the liquid column within a well, saidapparatus having a lifting fluid inlet controlled by a valve and aperforated elongate sleeve communicating with the inlet and so arrangedthat the fluid is spread in a thin sheet around the sleeve before itpasses through the perforations therein, whereby the formation of 30"slippage bubbles is eliminated and a smooth lifting or flow of thecolumn produced.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus ofthe character described, wherein a valve controls the admission oflifting fluid to the perforated sleeve so that any number of devices maybe connected in a tubing string and each will be individually controlledby its own valve.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafterdescribed, together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of thefollowing specification and by reference to the accompanying drawing, inwhich an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view of a deviceconstructed in accordance with the invention. v

Figure 2 is a horizontal, sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure1, and

Figure 3 is an elevation of the perforated sleeve. V

In the drawing, thenumeral I designates a well casing which has theusual well tubing extending co-axially therethrough. As shown in Figure1, a tubular flow valve bodyor housing i2 is externally screw threadedat its lower endthe valve means is not an important feature of theinvention and as there are a number of suitable valves which may bepurchased on the open market for use with the invention it is not deemednecessary to go into a detailed description of the control valvestructure and operation.

Therefore, for controlling the lifting fluid introduced in to the wellliquid, any suitable valve may be used, but I have shown a valve l3mounted between a pair of vertically alined bosses I4 extendingoutwardly from one side of the body l2. The valve includes a cylindricalvalve chamber I5 and a pressure pin l6 which is movable verticallytherein. The lower end of the pin is formed with a conical valve face I!which is adapted to engage an annular seat I8 I which surrounds the borel8 of a plug l9 located in the lower open end of the chamber IS. Thebore l8 establishes communication between the chamber and the interiorof the well casing ID. A spring exerts its pressure to urge the pin l6downwardly onto the seat l8 at all times, whereby the bore is closed.The upper end of the pin I6 is provided with an axial bore 2| extendingfrom its upper end to substantially its midportion. Radial openings 22establish communication between the lower end of the bore 2| in the pinl6 and the valve chamber l5. A metering pin 23 has one end secured inthe upper boss and extends downwardly into the valve chamber Hand is inalinement with the axial bore 2| of the pressure pin I6. This meteringpin acts to throttle the flow of lifting fluid through the valve. Theupper end of the chamber l5 has communication with the interior of thebody 2 through a radial port 24 provided in the upper boss M. It will beobvious that the valve controls the introduction of the lifting fluidfrom within the well casing into the chamber l5 and through the port 24into the interior of the body I2. The valve is operated by thedifferential in pressure between the well casing and. the well tubing.

For distributing the lifting fluid entering the body through the port24, an elongate cylindrical sleeve is disposed within the body. Thesleeve is supported at its lower end upon an internal annular (shoulder26, provided within the lower end of the body, and extends upwardlytherefrom to the lower end of the internal screw threads at the upperend of said body. It will be seen that when the tubing II is screwedinto the upper end of the body, the lower end of said tubing engagesthe-upper end of. the sleeve to hold said sleeve flrmly in position onthe shoulder 26.

The inner end of the port 24 connects with an internal annular groove 21provided in the wall of the body l2 adjacent the upper end of thesleeve, and it will be seen that fluid introduced into the body throughthe port will enter said groove. Extending downwardly from the lower endof the groove 21 to a point just above the lower end of the sleeve, thebore of the body is enlarged over the outside diameter of said sleeve,whereby an annular elongate, vertical space 28 is formed between thebody and the sleeve. It will be obvious that fluid in the groove 21 willflow downwardly into the annular space 28 between the sleeve and thebody, which extends throughout substantially the length of the sleeve.The space 28 is narrow which causes the fluid to flow in a thin.cylindrical sheet.

The sleeve 25 is provided with a plurality of comparatively small radialopenings 29 extending through its walls for establishing communi-'cation between the annular space 28 and the interior of the sleeve.Thus, it will be seen that lifting fluid in the annular space may passthrough the openings 29 in the sleeve into the fluid in the string oftubing II. The provision of this sleeve having a large number ofcomparatively small openings extending therethrough is the importantfeature of this invention. It will be seen that lifting fluid flowing ina thin sheet passing through the openings in the sleeve, under pressure,will be introduced into the liquid standing in the well tubing innumerous small jets or streams, and, since the openings are providedthroughout substantially the length of the sleeve, it will be seen thatthe fluid introduced therethrough 'will be equally distributed into thewell liquid, thereby increasing aeration of said liquid.

The introduction of the lifting fluid into the liquid in the tubing in alarge number of small streams circumferentially of the liquid columnalso reduces the possibility of the formation of large globules of thelifting fluid in the liquid, thereby preventing bubbling and eliminatingslippage incident thereto. Heading or surging of the well liquid iseliminated and a smooth even flow of the aerated liquid is obtained.This better mixing of the lifting fluid with the well liquid which givesa steady flow of the aerated liquid also reduces the number of controlvalves necessary to raise the liquid from the well since the slippageloss is substantially eliminated and the full lifting power of thelifting fluid is utilized. Since the openings in the sleeve are spacedfrom each other, both longitudinally and circumferentially of thesleeve, it will be seen that the lifting fluid is introduced into thewell liquid throughout substantially the length of the sleeve. and thatthe lifting fluid is distributed equally throughout a column of the wellliquid of substantially the same length as said sleeve, therebyincreasing the aeration of said liquid column.

It is noted that the screen 25 may be removed from the body l2 forcleaning, replacement or any other purpose by unscrewing the well tubingH in the upper end of said body, whereupon the screen is freed and maybe readily removed therefrom.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A well flowing device including, a housing having a bore providing aliquid flow passage and arranged to be connected in a string of welltubing, a valved inlet on the housing directly controlling the admissionof well pressure fluid, the housing having a passage extending from theinlet, in combination with a perforated sleeve in the bore of thehousing controlling the admission of pressure fluid to the column ofliquid flowing upwardly through the housing, said sleeve extendingdownwardly from said passage and spaced from the bore of the housing.

2. A well flowing device including, a housing having a bore providing aliquid flow passage and arranged to be connected in a string of welltubing, an inlet on the housing directly controlling the admission ofwell pressure fluid, the housing having a passage extending from theinlet, in combination with a perforated sleeve in the bore of thehousing controlling the admission of pressure fluid to the column ofliquid flowing upwardly through the housing, said sleeve extendingdownwardly from said passage, the housing having a vertical restrictedpassage surrounding the sleeve and extending downwardly from the inletfor spreading the inlet fluid flow into a thin sheet.

3. A well flowing device including, a housing having means at its endsfor connecting it in a string of well tubing and provided with a borelocated to be alined with the bore of the tubing, the housing having avalved inlet to its bore and provided with a counterbore, the valvedinlet controlling the admission of pressure fluid to said housing, and aperforated sleeve mounted in the counterbore of the housing in suchclose relation thereto as to provide a vertically restricted passagesurrounding said sleeve for spreading the influent pressure fluid into athin sheet and excluding extraneous matter therefrom.

CHARLES s. CRICKMER.

